Conversation communication system and conversation communication method

A conversation communication method for implementing conversation between communicators, respectively, in a plurality of spaces which are distant from each other, using communication units provided respectively in the plurality of spaces to communicate with each other, the method comprising:

• registering, by a register included in each of the communication units, a communicator in a corresponding one of the plurality of spaces;
• storing, by a storage included in the each of the communication units, a facial image of the communicator registered by the register;
• detecting, by a distance detector included in the each of the communication units, a distance between the communicator whose facial image has been stored in the storage and a reference position set in the corresponding one of the plurality of spaces;
• detecting, by a direction detector included in the each of the communication units, a facial or sight line direction of the communicator whose facial image has been stored in the storage;
• and
• determining, by a determiner included in the each of the communication units, whether or not communication between the communication units is to be continued according to the distance detected by the distance detector and the facial or sight line direction detected by the direction detector,
• wherein while the facial or sight line direction detected by the direction detector is a predetermined direction relative to an equipment placed at the reference position, the determiner determines that the communication between the communication units is to be continued, and
• wherein when the distance detected by the distance detector increases after the facial or sight line direction detected by the direction detector has changed to a direction different from the predetermined direction relative to the equipment, if any of conditions (1) and (2) is satisfied, the determiner determines that the communication between the communication units is to be terminated,
• the condition (1) being that the communicator whose facial image has been stored in the storage is at such a position that the distance is undetectable by the distance detector and
• the condition (2) being that the facial or sight line direction detected by the direction detector is, time for equal to or longer than a preset period of time, maintained at the direction different from the predetermined direction relative to the equipment,
• wherein the register registers a person as the communicator when the person is in the one of the plurality of spaces and the person's facial or sight line direction detected by the direction detector is the predetermined direction relative to the equipment, and
• wherein every time the communication between the communication units ends, the facial image of the communicator registered by the register is deleted from the storage.